Donald Nash v. Terry Russell

MELLOY, Circuit Judge.

A jury convicted Donald R. Nash of capital murder in violation of section 565.001 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri (1978) in 2009. Following an unsuccessful appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, Nash filed this 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition. He argues that his conviction is not supported by sufficient evidence and his constitutional rights were violated by Missouri’s “direct connection rule,” under which the trial court excluded evidence of a third-party’s potential guilt. The district court 1 denied the petition, and Nash appeals. We affirm.

I. Background

On…